Simms: Great teams need great coaches

Phil Simms is a former NFL quarterback, the MVP of Super Bowl
XXI, and currently makes his living as a pro football analyst on
CBS.

Despite having played his college ball at Morehead State in
Kentucky, Simms has never professed to being a thoroughbred race
fan. Nevertheless, he offers this unique view of Sunday's AFC
divisional playoff game between the Patriots and Chargers: "You can
run a jackass in the Kentucky Derby, but he won't win it."

Translation: Even great teams must have great coaches to get to
a Super Bowl. The two go together.

"I'm one of the few people who believe coaches get players in a
position to succeed," said Simms, who will call the
Patriots-Chargers game with Jim Nantz at 1:30 p.m. on CBS. "The
players must believe in the strategy laid out by the coaches. In a
game where there don't appear to be a lot of physical mismatches,
players must play great in the roles in which they're cast."

Simms thinks the Patriots have an edge Sunday with coach Bill
Belichick at the helm. He also thinks the Chargers are in good
hands with Marty Schottenheimer running the show.

"Marty's different this season. The Chargers are different,"
Simms said. "The Chargers aren't predictable this season. I think
they'll open it up a lot, and we'll talk a lot about that Sunday on
the broadcast."

Simms said players like running back LaDainian Tomlinson and
tight end Antonio Gates make it easier for the Chargers to open up
the offense.

"New England's defense is built to stop the run," Simms said.
"But L.T. is a truly great football player. I still think Jim Brown
is the greatest football player of all time, because he ran in an
era where teams lined up in the same formation every down.

"L.T. runs in an era where offenses spread defenses out, so it's
a little easier to set numbers. L.T. has taken advantage of the new
age of pro football."

Defensively, Simms is interested to see how the Patriots handle
the Chargers' pass rush, especially linebacker Shawne Merriman.

"The Patriots have always handled Dwight Freeney (considered
among the top pass-rushing linebackers in the NFL)," Simms said.
"The Patriots will use three tight ends or five receivers on
offense. But Merriman destroys tight ends and wide receivers, so I
want to see how the Patriots scheme against him.

"I'm looking forward to a very exciting game. I can't wait to
see how it plays out."

More NFL

- Dick Enberg, Bob Trumpy and Bonnie Bernstein will call the
Patriots-Chargers game on national radio, but that broadcast won't
be heard in San Diego. If you can't watch the game, it's Josh Lewin
and Hank Bauer on 105.3 FM.

- Last Saturday's prime-time wild card playoff game between the
Cowboys and Seahawks on NBC was a huge ratings success, drawing a
16.4 rating and a 27 share of the audience. The game was seen by
26.8 million viewers nationally. In San Diego, the game drew a 21.2
rating and a 37 share.